Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Leaving the principal's office, Yan Yu encountered Chen Lingyun at the entrance of the administration building.

Princess Snob had already changed out of the down jacket she wore in the Northeast. She now wore a white shirt, pleated skirt, and little leather shoes, exposing arms and calves as pale and delicate as jade.

A delicate velvet hat sat atop her head, and she was holding a parasol, elegantly standing under the shade of trees by the flowerbed, waiting for someone's return.

"What is this, a Jiang Hai socialite's getup?" Yan Yu's expression took on a bit of a squint as he stepped a few paces away from her, "Which nightclub's VIP room princess are you?">

"Dear," Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, "I don't expect you to have a high taste in clothing, but at least you should learn to recognize brands... So what did my dad say to you?"

"Nothing much," Yan Yu sighed deeply, "We talked about why the Mysterious Realm needs to be kept secret, and then he probed our relationship."

Impatiently, he moved forward when suddenly his view darkened—Chen Lingyun was walking beside him, and her parasol also shielded him from the blazing sun above.

"This is indeed his habit," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "He's assessing your value, and evaluating potential risks you might bring."

"The risk he's worried about is me abducting you," Yan Yu said casually, "But at least it shows he treasures you like a gem."

"Mhm, of course my dad loves me," Chen Lingyun's smiling eyes narrowed into crescents.

"I think it's more than that," Yan Yu said with a hint of sarcasm, "Your thought patterns, your values, they all match your father's to a tee. It's clear he's grooming you as his successor."

"After all, I am the only daughter of our family," Chen Lingyun's smile remained unchanged.

"Which means," Yan Yu continued, "that the reason you turned out to be such a snob—besides your own contribution—is that 99% of the blame falls on your father."

"I'll just take that as 'excellent,'" Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, "Thank you for the compliment."

"You're welcome," Yan Yu replied, "I've also made my stance clear to your dad."

"You'd better not play any tricks on him," Chen Lingyun cautioned, "He's very good at reading people."

"It doesn't matter," Yan Yu said disdainfully, "Even if he doesn't like me, what can he do? Fire me?"

"It's impossible for him to dismiss you," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "but he's got a thousand ways to make you uncomfortable, so I suggest you don't deliberately provoke him."

"Trying to scare me, huh?" Yan Yu chuckled coldly and sneered, "Your dad doesn't care about my attitude toward him, only whether I'm beneficial or harmful to him. As long as I can lead the team to achieve results, he will tolerate all my offenses."

"Not quite," Chen Lingyun's smile faded as she spoke solemnly, "You said it yourself, he's grooming me as his successor, so he wouldn't see his son-in-law as a pawn to be used, but rather as another junior to nurture—or at least, the person must satisfy him."

"I know, but what does that have to do with me?" Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "Why doesn't he pick a son-in-law from those political aristocratic families?"

"You don't have confidence in yourself?" Chen Lingyun covered her mouth in surprise.

"Don't presuppose. We're discussing your dad," Yan Yu said impatiently, "When he's choosing a son-in-law for you, he must be looking at those in Lord Master's circle, right?"

"Wrong," Chen Lingyun said with a head shake and a smile, "he ought to be looking in our circle."

Yan Yu: ?

"You mean... Cultivators?" he asked uncertainly.

"Right," Chen Lingyun said lightly, "After all, the future belongs to the era of Cultivators."

"No," Yan Yu frowned deeply, recalling, "Your dad just reached that position, to consolidate his status quickly, he should choose to ally with other factions, and marriage is the best way to form alliances."

"You're right," Chen Lingyun didn't deny, "but don't forget, I am not only his only daughter but also his successor. Would he really sacrifice my future just for that bit of a political bargaining chip? In fact, don't forget that there's another way that is more effective and direct to get what he wants than faction alliances."

"You mean..." Yan Yu suddenly realized, "the violence wielded by Cultivators?"

"It's deterrence," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "like nuclear weapons, they are most powerful not when the mushroom cloud blooms but when they lie on the launchpad."

"So that's why your father takes a radical stance," Yan Yu also had a sudden insight, "because only in a chaotic and turbulent situation can he find the best ladder for his ascent! Cultivators will bring about the changes he desires, all he has to do is stir the waters vigorously!"

"Could you read fewer political intrigue novels?" Chen Lingyun couldn't help but sigh, "The resurgence of Spiritual Energy wasn't caused by my family; my father is just going with the flow."

"The reason he 'goes with the flow' is also because his own daughter is a top-tier Cultivator, right?" Yan Yu said with undisguised sarcasm, "If you were an ordinary person incapable of cultivating, I'm sure his attitude would be different."

"I'm not qualified enough as it stands," Chen Lingyun didn't hide the truth and spoke frankly, "To be a human-shaped nuclear bomb, one must at least possess power that could rival a country."

"He's dreaming," Yan Yu scoffed again, "A great Cultivator who could rival a country, what kind of woman can't he find? Why would he be so eager to become your father-in-law and accept the role of being called dad?" Discover more stories at empire

"Of course not now," Chen Lingyun smiled again, "The Spiritual Energy Resurgence hasn't been around for long; he has plenty of time for long-term investments."

"So I am also one of his investment targets, aren't I?" Yan Yu chuckled, "A 'father-in-law angel fund,' is that it?"

"One of them," Chen Lingyun corrected him, "In his eyes, you should be the most valuable investment target at the moment, but not the only one."

"In any case, if I were you, I would try my best to showcase my value in front of him. Who will eventually become his son-in-law, that's a matter for the future. For now, let's draw sufficient benefits from the 'father-in-law angel fund' first."

"Hmm, you make some sense," Yan Yu stroked his chin in thought.

"Why not take a free advantage?" Chen Lingyun's smile grew even sweeter, "Right?"

"But, I refuse!" Yan Yu suddenly declared loudly.

"Don't joke around," Chen Lingyun's smile disappeared, and she asked with displeasure in her furrowed brow, "What's wrong with you? Why wouldn't you want it? Do you think you have too much of an advantage already and want to add some difficulty to your life ahead?"

"That's not it," Yan Yu shook his head in denial, "I'm just worried that this is a trick of yours, that if I accept too many favors from your father, I'll be cornered into marrying you in the future, and that would be troublesome."

"What?" Chen Lingyun was both annoys and amused, "Am I going to tie you up and drag you to the registry office or something?"

"I'm not naive enough not to understand the maneuvers of a rich lolita like you," Yan Yu spoke with a disdainful look, "You use substantial benefits as bait, saying let's start as friends, then you start playing ambiguous games, like sharing a bed because it's cold at night, or needing a hug after a nightmare...

Anyway, you entice a man to make a mistake and then play innocent afterwards, demanding he take responsibility and trapping him for the rest of his life!"

"Is that how I captured you in my previous life?" Chen Lingyun looked bemused.

That's not my style at all... Could it be that some other rich lolita played such a game with him?

"Don't talk nonsense," Yan Yu immediately shook his head in denial, "You don't have to be deceived to know a scammer's tricks. With the internet so developed, what kind of scams can't you find? In the end, as long as you're not greedy for small gains, you'll never be deceived and regret it for life."

Chen Lingyun was momentarily speechless, then said after a while:

"Do you really have to be so guarded against me? Is being with me that much of an indignity to you?"

The moment the question slipped out, she immediately regretted it: Why did I give him the chance to slam dunk on me...

As expected, Yan Yu quickly adopted an arrogant and indifferent expression as if he had been asked an extremely stupid question, and snorted contemptuously:

"What a joke! Are you even worthy?"